Florists have long relied on chrysanthemums because of their long life span of up to two weeks. Gardeners enjoy the vitality of the fresh flowers in the yard, while decorators enjoy the flowers’ versatility in the home. With their many colors, and various forms, mums have provided happiness for thousands of years.

There are a wide variety of mums. Some classifications include spider mums (flower petals long and tubular, with hooked ends), football mums (fancy mums with incurving petals), and pompon mums (small, stiff, almost globular flowers). Flower colors include white, yellow, orange, bronze, red, purple and pink.

Perennial chrysanthemums are native to the Orient and Russia. Annual forms are native to the Mediterranean. The first known cultivation of chrysanthemums was in the 15th century B.C. in China. Chinese herbalists boiled the flower roots as a headache remedy, ate the flowers in salads, and brewed flower leaves to make a festive tea. The dew found on the flowers was collected to promote longevity.

In the 8th century A.D., the chrysanthemum appeared in Japan where the locals adopted a single flower as the crest and official seal of the Emperor. The Japanese even have a National Chrysanthemum Day, known as the Festival of Happiness.

In 1753, Swedish botanist Karl Linnaeus introduced the flowers into the Western world, combining the Greek words “chrysos” meaning gold and “anthemon” meaning flower, to name this flower “chrysanthemum”. The first commercial production of mums began in the late 1940’s as florists began utilizing the flowers in corsages.

Today, with their beauty, durability and variety of colors, mums are highly favored

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